The balance sheet of the United Nations after 100 days of war against Ukraine is devastating. At least 15.7 million people in the country are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, according to UN figures released today. Almost 14 million have fled within the country or abroad.
So far 4,169 dead and 4,982 injured civilians have been confirmed by UN experts. At least 268 children were among the dead, it said. The UN Human Rights Office assumes that the actual number of victims is considerably higher.
An early end to the war is unlikely. Currently, Russia is making progress on the ground. The Kremlin is also benefiting financially from the war-related developments. According to the Ministry of Finance in Moscow, the high oil price will probably increase Russian income from energy transactions by around six billion euros in June alone. The European oil embargo is not expected to take effect until the end of the year, until then almost the same quantities will be traded as before, but at a much higher price.
Russian attacks significantly increased
The Russian army meanwhile increased its attacks significantly again, some areas were practically under constant fire from rocket artillery, it was said. In the city of Seyerodonetsk, hundreds of people sought shelter from the fighting in a chemical plant. There is heavy fighting here, Russian units control most of the city. The Ukrainian side definitely wants to keep the administrative center of Sieverodonetsk.
Ukrainian units reported successes in an offensive in the south of the country in the region around the port city of Kherson. It was said that the Russian troops had been pushed back several kilometers there.
Different findings
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj gave an interim assessment of the overall situation in Ukraine yesterday. According to him, after 100 days of war, the Russian attackers controlled around 20 percent of his country.
The Kremlin, on the other hand, sees “certain” goals as having been achieved. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists today that “numerous places” had been “liberated” by Russia from “armed, pro-Nazi Ukrainian forces” and “nationalist elements”. This enabled the population to return to a “life in peace”.
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